Simple thoughts

The day when Shizune and Kurono shared the news of their engagement was a happy and pleasant one for both of them. A celebration had been improvised back then, and with the couple as the main focus, it was obvious that many questions would be asked. Kazumi, Akira, and Rena had not wasted any time, they trapped Shizune in a kind of fence so that she could not escape and filled her with questions about how the declaration went, about what she had felt at that moment, and many more things that Shizune had to take her time to answer, but that at the same time made her remember that moment that was precious to her.

On the other hand, Kurono also found himself drawn into the conversation, and similar questions were asked to him, although not as in-depth as Shizune. In addition, Kurono was busy calming Akio down a bit since he was quite excited congratulating him.

As they continued to celebrate the great news, the topic of going to Shizune's hometown came up again, and obviously, it was more than clear that Shizune and Kurono would go since they also had to give the news to Shizune's parents, and consequently, Kazumi also joined in since after all she was practically Kurono's family and she wanted to be with him at that moment.

That was how that day had ended, filled with tranquility and happiness that was difficult to repeat and that at the same time made many things appear that needed to be planned carefully, but that was also enough for the hearts of our dear couple to be filled with calm and great expectation for the future that awaited them.

…

…

…

A few days had passed since that occasion, and the trip to the town was still a little far away from happening, so that was enough to know that everyone was still in the city for the moment. As the days went by, Shizune found herself involved in conversations with Rena and Akira about what plans they had in mind, and although Shizune wasn't entirely clear about what she was going to do, she still enjoyed the little brainstorms, as well as the enthusiasm that Rena and Akira showed for her engagement with Kurono.

In Kurono's case, he had also been affected in a somewhat curious way since throughout the week he had not stopped receiving congratulations from the employees of his company. That had seemed strange to him at first, but when Akio appeared before him apologizing since he had been the one to blame for the news escaping during one of his conversations with Yuki, everything had become clearer to him and he could only sigh to himself, although he was still grateful for the good wishes he received, even Yuki had offered him her respective congratulations, so he had already become accustomed enough.

That had been constantly repeating itself, but all of that brought us to the present, precisely to the moment when Shizune and Kurono were visiting the orphanage since Kurono had been forced by Kazumi to share the news with someone else.

"I see. It was about time you got married, did you come to say something else?" Kurono's expression was a little difficult to describe, but the reason for that was that he didn't expect such a simple reaction once he told Aoi that he was getting married.

"Something more important to say...?" When Kurono was younger, he had no qualms about contradicting Aoi a little, even verbally fighting with her, but as he grew older, he slowly lost that rebellious desire.

"Listen, brat. Why should I be surprised by the natural flow of things? Every few months I receive that same news from others who have passed through here, why would it be different this time?" Aoi had an expression that Kurono knew all too well, and it was one that always put him in a bad mood since she saw him as if he was some kind of fool or had a screw loose.

"First of all… I didn't even want to come see you yet, but Kazumi-nee's insistence is something I can't go against. I also thought that I should at least have the courtesy to tell you about this, but I would have kept it to myself since you seem to care more about how many flowers are in the garden."

"Well, for your information, this old lady is very busy with more important matters than listening to the chatter and complaints of a thirty-something-year-old boy, but since you mentioned it, I'm still waiting for your donations this month to precisely fix up the garden a bit." Without removing her expression from before, Aoi had no problem attacking Kurono. For her, it was nothing out of this world to deal with him in that way, and although she didn't remember the last time they had "fought" like that, she was enjoying it strangely.

In the end, the exchange of words lasted for a good while until Kurono got tired of it all and left the room with a frown saying that he needed some fresh air. That had made Aoi simply watch as Kurono's figure crossed the door before closing it once more, making her let out a small sigh before taking the cup near her and taking a sip so that her throat could recover from so much talking.

It seemed like that would be the end of that little scene, surely Kurono wouldn't come back and Aoi could continue focusing on the work she had, but the reality was that she focused her attention on Shizune... Who had a nervous expression since she couldn't understand what had just happened.

"I'm sorry you saw that." Aoi's words managed to catch Shizune's attention and bring her back to reality.

"Don't worry..." In a few words, Shizune had accompanied Kurono to the orphanage since he had the idea of ​​talking to Aoi about their engagement. Shizune had fully supported the idea since she was aware of the importance that Aoi had had in Kurono's life, but after seeing the peculiar interaction that had resulted between the two, she had been left a little speechless.

Shizune tried to think of what had happened for everything to end up this way, but at the same time, Shizune had her ideas, especially one that would perfectly explain what had just happened, and she didn't hesitate to ask about it.

"Did you act that way because you wanted to talk to me without Kurono around?" Shizune thought it was the most feasible option, and she felt that she had made the right choice when she saw Aoi's somewhat surprised expression... But in the end, she knew she was wrong.

"Not at all. I just like to bother him from time to time."Aoi made a negation gesture with her hand as she said that, and in turn, Shizune felt embarrassed for thinking too much about the situation. "But well, since we're alone, I might as well take advantage of it to say a few things."

Noticing that Aoi's attitude was becoming a little serious compared to before, Shizune settled back in her seat while her attention was focused on the older woman on the other side of the desk.

"First of all… The truth is that I'm really surprised, but at the same time, I don't feel that it's strange that you ended up this way." Shizune could understand that Aoi was referring to the fact that Kurono proposed to her. "I'm surprised because it seems that Kurono was finally able to leave behind that past that tormented him, and at the same time, I don't feel that this situation is strange since it's all largely thanks to you."

Shizune wanted to say something in response, but the moment she wanted to, Aoi stopped her indicating that she should let her finish.

"I don't think I can say that I know the relationship between you perfectly, all I have with me is the little that you have told me, but at the same time, I'm sure that anyone can notice the honesty and feelings that you have for each other." Aoi closed her eyes for a moment as she got a little lost in those memories of the past, precisely those in which Kurono was present, and that had made a small smile appear on her face. "I think my words don't have a big impact, but still, I'm happy for you, so I guess I can repeat what I told you a while ago."

For a moment, Shizune thought about the possible words she would hear next, but they came to her faster than she could think.

"Shizune, keep taking care of Kurono, and keep loving him like you have until now… Maybe I'm not his family, but I love him as such, and maybe he won't believe it even if I tell him, but I'm very proud and happy for him."